Full-time kindergarten to be continued in Peace River, Grimshaw and Berwyn

Full-time kindergarten to be continued in Peace River, Grimshaw and Berwyn

Peace River School Division (PRSD) Board of Trustees has approved continuation of full-time kindergarten at Ecole Springfield Elementary School, Kennedy Elementary School (soon to be Grimshaw Public School) and Lloyd Garrison School. However, due to high costs to run the full-time kindergarten option, the board will not extend the program to additional PRSD school communities. The cost to offer the full-time kindergarten option in other PRSD communities that expressed interest would cost over $309,000.00.

“We are not able to sustain the cost to run the full-time kindergarten option in all our communities on a long term basis” says Board Chair Darren Kuester. “In order to expand full-time kindergarten in our school division, we would be taking from other areas of the budget which would compromise overall student programming and staffing. Although full-time kindergarten is a great convenience in many ways, educational research informs there is no long term advantage of full-time kindergarten over part-time kindergarten.”

The Alberta Government provides school divisions with funding for part-time kindergarten programming. To offer full-time kindergarten options, school divisions must supplement the government funding to make the full-time option available.

NOTE: PRSD's listing of kindergarten open house/registration dates will be posted in the very near future.